1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a remote operation support system and method capable of properly supporting an operator in remote operation support.
2. Description of Related Art
Endoscopes have been generally used in the field of medical treatment. Recently, endoscopes equipped with a television camera and electronic endoscopes have been widespread. Each television-camera-equipped endoscope is designed in such a manner that imaging means is provided for an eyepiece of an optical endoscope. Each electronic endoscope has imaging means embedded at the distal end. Endoscopic apparatuses each utilize such an endoscope. In the apparatus, since an endoscopic image captured by the endoscope is displayed on a monitor, an operator can observe and treat a patient while viewing the image.
The endoscopic apparatus connects to a light source supplying an illumination beam to the endoscope, a video processor functioning as a camera control unit with an image signal processing circuit for displaying an endoscopic image, and a television monitor in which the endoscopic image is displayed. Further, other peripheral devices such as a gas insufflator and a high-frequency cauterizer are provided for the endoscopic apparatus, thus constructing an endoscopic system capable of performing treatment or an operation while observing with the endoscope. This system is in practical use.
In the above-mentioned endoscopic system, generally, those peripheral devices are connected to a system controller, resulting in a centralized control.
Usually, an operator operates on a patient in an operating room. For example, in some cases, the operator in the operating room has to perform a certain operation which he or she has performed only few times, namely, the operator may be a poor experienced operator with respect to that operation. The following system would be applied to the above case: A terminal disposed near the operator is connected to a terminal of another operator in a remote location (hereinbelow, referred to as a remote supporting operator) through a communication line, the remote supporting operator being familiar to that operation, namely, having rich experience in the operation. During the operation, the remote supporting operator can give directions to the operator with respect to an affected area to be removed. Through the use of the above-mentioned system, the operator in the operating room can perform the operation while receiving remote support. Thus, the operator can properly perform the operation on the patient in the operating room.
In an operation with the endoscopic observation mentioned above, even if an operator in an operating room is an inexperienced doctor, he or she receives directions from an experienced doctor serving as a remote supporting operator while the remote supporting operator is observing endoscopic images displayed on a monitor, so that the doctor in the operating room can perform the operation with reliability. In this instance, an endoscopic image of an operating field to be displayed on the monitor is important. If an endoscopic image displayed is different from that of an operating field which the experienced doctor desires to view, the doctor verbally or directly directs the operator in the operating room to capture an endoscopic image including the desired operating field. Thus, the operator can smoothly perform the operation in collaboration with the remote supporting operator.
As mentioned above, according to the foregoing remote operation support system, if an experienced doctor, serving as a supporting operator giving directions, lives in a remove location, a terminal disposed in a hospital where the doctor works is connected to a terminal disposed in an operating room where another doctor in charge of an operation exists through a public line so that the doctor properly operates on a patient in the operating room while receiving directions from the doctor in the remote location during the operation. As a related art of the above system, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-306509 (Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-111749), to the same assignee as this application, proposes a remote operation support system.
This proposal intends to achieve an object to provide a remote operation support system capable of integrally displaying an endoscopically-observed image and instruction information, transmitted from a remote location, on one monitor without deteriorating an operation in an operating room.